I have to agree with Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway's comments in this front page article. Instead of making such a big to-do about a bunch of old statues, why not worry about bigger problems like loose dogs, potholes, crime rates, shortage of cops, etc. Leave the statues as targets for the pigeons.

When your kids ask what those statues represent, tell them losers. Teach them history about the dark times our country went through. Don't hide anything. But for Pete's sake, quit fighting each other like cats and dogs.

I am now wondering will we be taking our children to an amusement park named "Five Flags Over Texas."

Jimmie George, Farmersville

How far do we go?

A serious question for those wanting to see Confederate monuments removed: Where does this stop? Is it OK to remove them all from Gettysburg? And how about monuments of Americans who owned slaves, like George Washington, and what do we do with the Washington Monument? Do we also change the name of our nation's capitol and not call it Washington, D.C.? This is an important debate that needs answers.

Paul Chabot, McKinney

Monuments to real heroes

It's time to redecorate. We need monuments that celebrate true heroes, not oppressors.

Elizabeth Thelen, Crestview, Fla.

I agree with park idea

Re: "Create a monument park," by Valerie Hill, Wednesday Letters.

I applaud the suggestion by Valerie Hill of Coppell that a monument park be created. Each city in the United States could decide if they want one and give the history involved with each monument leaving out any political point of view about it.

Schwartz said, "The Democratic-Republican party became the Republican Party." Not exactly. It became the Democratic Party in the 1830s under Andrew Jackson. Republicans formed in 1854 to oppose slavery. Grant was the only Republican to own a slave before joining the party.

Johnson said, "The Democrats opposed to [the 1964 Civil Rights Act] quit the party and joined the Republican Party." That is a myth. The fact is, 21 Democratic senators (versus six Republicans) opposed the Civil Rights Act. Only one, Strom Thurmond, became a Republican.

Ken Ashby, Dallas

Protect our pets

The nightmare of Clear the Shelters Day is here. On Saturday, hordes of people will turn up at the shelters to adopt a free dog or cat that they weren't willing, or able, to afford for $15 or $25 last week. One can only imagine the kind of care these animals will receive. With the cost of vets, meds and surgeries, care can be cost-restrictive.

How many of these animals we so gleefully cheer when they leave the shelter actually end up in good situations? We don't know. We don't ask. We just continue our dance of failure. With shelters lacking space, many kill these trusting animals in droves.

Where are the legislators, mayors and city council members who can actually affect change? Certainly not in our area.

If humans can't be responsible for their pets, which eternal overflowing shelters confirm, where are the laws to protect these domesticated animals? Excuses are plenty, some legitimate, most not.

Germany has no strays and is a no kill country. They also have strict expectations and one must pay a small annual tax. Ahh, a requirement. Switzerland, also without strays, has a mandatory education requirement prior to adoption. The list goes on.

Jennifer Sellers, Richardson

Either way, we pay

Re: "Doctor gets 35 years for fraud -- He bilked taxpayers for $373 million in home health scam," Aug. 10 news story, and "Demand a better answer," by Jacquelyn Vilet, Aug. 10 Letters.

A letter to the editor states, "We can't continue with our current for-profit system." This implies that profit sucks too much money out of private plans that make them inefficient and costly. Now let's jump to TheDallas Morning News front page article about a federal health care scam that says a doctor "bilked taxpayers for $373 million ..."

Folks, let's face it. There will be either a profit or a fraud surcharge to any health plan that this country decides to use. No plan comes without this charge.

Robert Crawford, Richardson

Stop protecting CPS

I'm glad to read news of Child Protective Services reform, but I think the lawmakers are going about it wrong. The reason so many CPS workers are lying and falsifying documents is because they have some immunity from prosecution.

Everything has a form or procedure. Look at the handbook and do as it says. There's a form for taking a kid, another one for forgetting about that kid in the corrupt system. CPS cares about rules but not truly the kids. Lift the immunity and prosecute more workers to show what is not tolerated in America.

If your child is in a foster home and he gets hurt, there is no one that you can call for emergency help. Police won't respond because CPS won't give out the foster parents' address. Your child is still hurt, but no one cares. Many who care have no voice.

CPS seems like a dictatorship to me. Why? Immunity. The ones who are prosecuted get probation when a child dies, yet it's often their fault for not doing their job. That is the America we live in. The governor, attorney general and judges need to wake up.

Sissy Cooper, Mount Vernon, Texas

Support your mayor

Re: "Mayors feel ire of GOP leaders -- Bills aim to take away control on issues usually left to cities," Sunday news story.

This article presents an incomplete picture of local government in Texas and contributes to the polarization that is destroying our state's future. Mike Rawlings was a respected leader in the Dallas business community for decades. He got involved in government because former Mayor Tom Leppert -- a Republican -- asked him to address Dallas' homeless. In cities throughout this state, decision-making is both public and non-partisan.

Be a journalist, not a play-by-play announcer. Governance is not like football; it is about thoughtful consideration of issues that always have many sides, dialogue among people with different views and compromise that is in the best interest of a particular community.

Texans are smart. They make their own choices about where to live, do business or own property -- and in 2016, 88.9 percent of Texans chose metropolitan areas. Two-thirds of us lived in just the four biggest metros -- Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin -- where individual communities make their own choices about their economies, property values and quality of life. If we really believe in the Texas values of self-determination and local control, we should support the ability of our cities to make decisions that suit their residents and property owners.